TreyMurphy III

Preseason question: What—and where—is Murphy’s ultimate NBA destiny? Often, it’s beautiful to watch Murphy run and gun; he has a lightning-quick release and an elegant moon ball that seems to fall gently through the net like a leaf. Other times, his game can be chaotic and disorganized, veering into chucker territory. For both of those reasons, Murphy has been a constant fixture in trade rumors, and there would seem to be two ways forward from here. He could remain in New Orleans and continue to explore the outer limits of his game on a disjointed and murky roster, or he could find his way to a contender, where he would likely be challenged to color inside the lines of the 3-and-D archetype. There’s promising precedent for the latter path—players like Aaron Gordon and Mikal Bridges have narrowed their games to elevate great teams—and an enticing open-endedness to the former. What does Murphy see for himself, and, more importantly, what do the other 29 NBA teams see for him?